Interac, notorious for illegal sub-contracting and its hostile attitude to worker rights, continues to grow across Japan but the union has been able to stop them in their tracks in Kurashiki, Okayama prefecture.

Teachers, already dispatched to Kurashiki schools, privately approached the Board of Education (BoE) seeking direct hire. They were turned down flat. With nothing to lose, the teachers decided to join the union and see what could be done. After negotiations got under way, the Board of Education made the right decision by taking the sub-contracted teachers on as direct hire employees. It wasn’t all smooth sailing When the union demanded that our members, dispatched through Interac, be given priority in direct employment, Interac started threatening the union members saying if teachers applied for the position, “you will lose the position both at the BoE and at Interac." Interac also tried to evict the teachers, illegally, from accommodation that was provided by the city. They even went as far as trying to cut off the electricity and gas without any warning. This angered the BoE as much as it angered the teachers. The General Union sent organisers to Okayama to support the members, and the members fought it out. Finally, at the end of March, we won a last minute victory. Out of our 7 members 4 were taken on by Kurashiki City, and others got dispatch positions at other BoEs in neighboring areas of Okayama.